Ex-military staff march quickly into ‘civvy street’ careers
Wednesday 19 May 2010 8:05 AM
Ex-military staff march quickly into ‘civvy street’ careers
More than half of ex-military personnel are finding work in less than two months after leaving the services, according to industry experts.
A poll which was run over four months and conducted by Leicester-based recruitment company Gemini Forces revealed 53 per cent of respondents successfully made the transition and found themselves in a civilian career within a matter of weeks. This is contrary to the popular belief that the majority of ex-services personnel will take much longer to find a civilian job, especially in the current economic climate.
Gemini’s poll ‘How long did it take for you to gain employment, when you left HM Forces?’ on its website www.geminiforces.co.uk showed that 39% of respondents said that they had found jobs within the first week. This would indicate that a significant number of ex-military personnel are well prepared in searching for employment prior to leaving the Forces.
Harry Dean, Gemini Forces director, who served in the Army for 30 years, said: “It’s encouraging to see that despite the many challenges facing ex-forces personnel rejoining civilian life so many are finding work in a relatively short space of time. This just goes to show that the transition support that Gemini Forces and others provide is actually working.
Gemini Forces specialises in helping ex-Services personnel find employment and has provided countless ex-Services personnel with the support they have needed to make the seamless transition to civilian life. Many have found employment in an array of industry sectors including Health & Safety, environmental, aviation, facilities management, project management and defence consultancy sectors.
Mr Dean added that military personnel are often unaware of the skills they have to offer potential employers when returning civilian life and one of Gemini Forces aims is to highlight those skills to both candidates and potential recruiters.
“Ex-forces personnel possess a raft of skills and qualities such as loyalty and commitment that make them highly attractive to potential employers,” he said.
“Employers continue to use candidates from Gemini Forces for precisely these reasons and we look forward to helping many more Service leavers and employers alike.”